News

February 20, 2017 4:50 PM |
Anonymous

Group Insurance Board members sent a letter last week to lawmakers, revealing more information on the process they used when deciding to self-fund and regionalize the health plan for state employees.

Their plan, approved last week, would shift the state away from a fully insured model, which involves 18 companies, to a model with six vendors. They estimate the move could save more than $60 million in the 2017-'19 state budget from reduced administrative and insurer risk fees as well as improved discounts. Department of Employee Trust Funds spokesman Mark Lamkins did not provide a further breakdown of the savings.

Any self-insurance contract is subject to approval by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee.

The board selected Compcare Health Services Insurance Corp. to offer a statewide option as well as a regional option. The other companies serving regions would be Dean Health Plan, HealthPartners Administrators, Network Health Administrative Services, Security Administrative Services and Quartz, which is affiliated with Unity Health Insurance and Gundersen Health Plan.

In a letter sent Friday to JFC co-chairs, GIB Chair Mike Farrell and board member Stacey Rolston, who is a deputy administrator in the Division of Personnel Management at the Department of Administration, wrote that those participating in the state employee health plan will have greater access to providers than are currently available to most members under a proposed move to self-insurance because CompCare has a broader network.

They also wrote that providers that are part of Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin, which did not respond to an RFP on administering the program, will be included via other third party administrators. In addition, Physicians Plus, which responded to the RFP but wasn't selected as a vendor, is exploring a partnership with Unity and Gundersen, according to the letter.

According to GIB, nine companies responded to the RFP. That also included Mayo Clinic Health Solutions, the self-insurance business unit of Health Traditions Health Plan, which wasn't chosen. WEA Trust also participated in the process and did not receive an offer.

GIB noted that many of the plans with minimal participant enrollment in the program chose not to respond, including Arise, Group Health Cooperative - Eau Claire, MercyCare Health Plans and Medical Associates.

"We could not respond to the RFP because the RFP required that respondents be able to serve an entire region defined by the RFP," Cranley said. He called it "a conscious decision to limit the number" of plans participating in the state program.

Cranley called the board's decision an "unfortunate choice" for the wider market as it eliminates a number of high quality community health plans from participation in the health plan.

"I think it does long-term damage to the competitive insurance market in the state of Wisconsin," he said. "You're essentially perhaps even crippling some of the plans that are smaller plans that provide important competition in the markets in which they participate."

Cranley said MercyCare serves 1,400 members in Jefferson, Rock and Walworth Counties through the state plan. That's out of 48,000 total members for his plan.

"I would prefer to continue to serve these folks and let them have access to our health plan," he added.

ETF often pursues an "aggressive education campaign" to ensure participants understand their choices under the program, according to the letter. The communication strategy for 2018 "will be unprecedented," Farrell and Rolston wrote.

January 25, 2017 10:43 AM |
Anonymous

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) launched the new Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (ePDMP) on January 17, replacing the former program.

2015 Act 266 requires physicians and other prescribers to review patient information from the ePDMP before issuing a prescription for any controlled substance beginning April 1, 2017. (More information, including exceptions to the requirement to consult the PDMP, in this nonpartisan Legislative Council memo.)

Be ready with the following information in order to register for the ePDMP, and note that prior login credentials no longer work.

Last name.

Last four digits of your social security number.

License number.

License type (profession).

Specialty or primary area of practice.

DEA number.

The ePDMP supports current browsers and two previous versions, except it only supports the current and previous version of Internet Explorer. If you experience issues, DSPS suggests that you update your browser.

Once the registration process is complete, users can begin looking up patients and managing delegates. The multistate search function will be available to both prescribers and their delegates as soon as their accounts are established. Training materials, including brief tutorial videos and information about creating and maintaining delegates are available at pdmp.wi.gov.

If you have questions or experience problems with the registration process, contact pdmp@wisconsin.gov.

January 25, 2017 10:34 AM |
Anonymous

In response to a national crisis relating to a 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to contaminated compound drugs sourced from a New England Compounding Center, ASPS published an issue brief on In-House Compounding. View brief.

January 11, 2017 2:25 PM |
Anonymous

Gov. Scott Walker called for a special session of the Legislature Thursday to consider 11 bills that aim to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic.

The bills are based on recommendations from a task force that Walker convened last year, chaired by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette.

The task force released an interim report Thursday. Even though it hasn't finished its work, the opioid and heroin epidemic are "such a crisis to deal with, we need to start acting now," Walker said.

"We need to tackle this issue head on," Walker told attendees of a Wisconsin Bankers Association event in Madison Thursday. "Not because it's a quality of life, not because it's a public health issue, but because it's a key part of our workforce."

Among the proposals the Legislature will consider are bills that would in the 2017-'19 biennium provide $2 million to support new medically assisted treatment centers, $1 million for consultation services helping medical professionals connect with addiction medicine specialists and $126,000 to the rural hospital graduate training program.

Another bill would provide money to the Department of Justice to fund criminal investigation agents focused on drug trafficking. And another would expand the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment training program offered by the Department of Public Instruction.

"All of us know someone personally affected by a heroin overdose or drug death," Kleefisch said in a statement. "Together, we're going to continue this initiative as we look for new ideas and evaluate the impact of the policies we've adopted the past several years."

An additional proposal would allow school personnel that can administer life-saving drugs like EpiPens to use the anti-overdose drug Naloxone. And two more would require schedule V substances that contain codeine like some cough syrups by dispensed with a prescription and extend limited immunity from prosecution to overdose victims.

Other bills include permitting the University of Wisconsin System to open a recovery school for students who need in-patient care and allowing relatives to commit a drug-addicted family member in the same way as is currently allowed for alcoholism.

Walker's order doesn't include all the recommendations made in the report, such as providing $2 million over the next biennium for Wisconsin hospitals to hire in-house recovery coaches. His spokesman said the bills are in the final stages of draft form and will be released when introduced.

Another order signed by Walker Thursday directs state agencies to pursue a number of different initiatives to curb opioid abuse, including having the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance conduct a survey of opioid addiction treatment coverage for major insurers in Wisconsin.

"The recommendations included in this report are not the silver bullet," said Nygren, who's authored 17 laws fighting drug abuse though his Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education Agenda. "I look forward to continuing the fight."

Wisconsin Hospital Association CEO Eric Borgerding noted that the interim report includes recommendations they suggested, like providing investments in fellowship training for addiction medicine and streamlining regulations for healthcare providers that are trying to expand access to substance abuse treatment.

Wisconsin Medical Society Chief Medical Officer Dr. Donn Dexter called the package of bills "ambitious, which is exactly what dealing with this crisis demands." The Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin said the proposals aim to increase access to treatments and prevent new addictions.

"We're especially excited about the investments to increase the number of providers available and in telemedicine," Bernie Sherry, senior vice president and Ministry market executive for Ascension Wisconsin, said in a statement. "This is a good day for Wisconsin."

Myranda Tanck, a spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said they'll likely maintain their current session calendar for when the full body meets.

Kit Beyer, a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said they hope to have the bills ready for committee hearings by the end of the month.

Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said the urgency of the special session is warranted.

"The opioid epidemic in our state is a very serious issue that requires a very aggressive response," Barca said in a statement. "I hope the committees will collect input from those who know this issue firsthand -from law enforcement, to educators, to medical professionals - as this will help us address this crisis in the most comprehensive manner possible."

Walker also signed an order directing the Department of Health Services to apply for funding available through the 21st Century Cures Act, which was approved by the federal government last year. The act makes $7.6 million per year available for two years to Wisconsin. His order directs the department to apply for the grants by Feb. 17.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis, said she helped lead the effort in Congress to include $1 billion in the act for the opioid epidemic.

"The opioid epidemic is not a partisan issue, and a strong partnership between the federal government and our state is essential to an effective response," she said in a statement. "This is a significant step forward for communities fighting the opioid epidemic across Wisconsin."

January 11, 2017 2:23 PM |
Anonymous

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) plans to launch the new Wisconsin Enhanced Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (ePDMP) on Tuesday, Jan. 17.

2015 Act 266 requires physicians and other prescribers to check patient information from the ePDMP before issuing a prescription for any controlled substance beginning April 1, 2017. (More information, including exceptions to the requirement to consult the PDMP, in this nonpartisan Legislative Council memo).

All prescribers will have to register to use the ePDMP—even if they are registered with and use the current system, which is being replaced and will not be available after Jan. 17.

The new ePDMP is designed to promote streamlined workflow integrations and improved data quality using analytics and visualizations to draw user’s attention to the most relevant and possibly concerning data in each report.

January 11, 2017 2:16 PM |
Anonymous

More than 50 leaders from health care organizations and systems statewide participated in a Health Care Reform Summit hosted by the Wisconsin Medical Society on Dec. 16. The summit provided stakeholders the opportunity to learn about and discuss pending changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and featured several speakers including Tommy Thompson, former Wisconsin governor and Health and Human Services secretary; Wisconsin Medicaid Director Michael Heifetz; Richard Deem, senior vice president of advocacy for the American Medical Association; and Wisconsin Deputy Commissioner of Insurance J.P. Wieske.

The speakers addressed a number of topics including the likelihood of repeal and replacement of the ACA, the role Medicaid will play in health care reform and the possibility of a transition from an entitlement program to one financed by block and/or per capita grants, and an overview of the health insurance market in Wisconsin.

The Summit also featured a review of various health care reform proposals, including the following:

Following the presentations, Summit attendees identified several key areas to focus reform efforts that include ensuring those who are currently covered do not lose insurance, maintaining access to affordable and adequate coverage for low-to-moderate income populations, maintaining adequate Medicaid funding, and evaluating opportunities to reduce regulatory burdens.

A subgroup of Summit participants will continue to meet as a steering committee to help direct future advocacy efforts.

For more information, e-mail Chris Rasch, Society vice president of Advocacy and Membership.

January 11, 2017 2:14 PM |
Anonymous

January 5, Wisconsin Health News

The number of Wisconsin residents in accredited rural-focused residency programs jumped 10 percent from the previous year, according to a December report from the Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program.

There were a total of 87 residents in the programs as of the end of November. That's up from 79 the previous year.

Some programs supported by WRPRAP are looking to bring in their first residents this year. The Aurora Lakeland Rural Training Track Family Medicine Program, which hopes to have 12 residents by July 2020, is recruiting its first four residents.

And the UW Obstetrics & Gynecology Residency Program, the nation's first rural track in the specialty, will match its first resident this year after about 100 applicants competed for the position.

"We are confident that WRPRAP's funding will continue to champion long-term, viable solutions that address the shortage of physicians in rural Wisconsin communities," the report noted.

January 06, 2017 4:41 PM |
Anonymous

When Ascension formally acquired Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in 2016, it gave the nation's largest nonprofit health system a firm foothold in the state. Ascension Wisconsin, which also includes Ministry Health Care and Columbia St. Mary's Health System, now boasts 24 hospitals and more than 100 clinics.

In August, Ascension tapped Columbia St. Mary's CEO Travis Andersen to head its south region and Wheaton executive Debra Standridge to oversee the northern part of the state. At a Wisconsin Health News Newsmaker event on Feb. 7 in Milwaukee, Andersen and Standridge will take part in a wide-ranging discussion on the system's future in the state. Panelists include:

Travis Anderson, south region president, Ascension Wisconsin

Debra Standridge, north region president, Ascension Wisconsin

This luncheon event will be held at the Wisconsin Club, 900 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, 53233. Register now.

December 20, 2016 8:50 AM |
Anonymous

The Wisconsin Medical Society is offering “Wisconsin Medical Examining Board Opioid Prescribing Guidelines,” a two-hour webinar available on-demand. The course satisfies the new MEB mandate requiring physicians with a DEA number to complete two continuing medical education (CME) credits on its Opioid Prescribing Guidelines during the current CME cycle, as well as another two credits during the next cycle.

Presented by Society member Michael McNett, MD, the webinar provides a comprehensive review of the guidelines. I completed it myself last week and thought it was not only outstanding, but a good reminder of the excellent work the Society does every day to meet its members’ needs. Click here to register or for more information.